rved to modern times is the so-called "Satyricon" of
Gaius Petronius, who lived at Rome in the early part of the
first century A.D. Petronius was the favorite courtier of
the Emperor Nero. Men knew him as one who set the fashions
in dress and manners, so that he had been compared to Beau
Brummel. He was, however, under all his foppishness, a
person of much intellect, which he showed both as an
administrator in high political office and as an author.
Enemies who were jealous of him accused him to the emperor
of treason; and, knowing that his condemnation was certain,
he resolved to die by his own hands. He therefore opened a
vein and slowly bled to death, checking, however, the flow
of blood from time to time, and down to the very last
chatting and joking with his friends. A very interesting and
probably accurate pen-picture of him is given by Henryk
Sienkiewicz in his famous novel "Quo Vadis."

The "Satyricon" of Petronius was originally a lengthy novel
of which there remains to us only about a hundred pages. The
book related the adventures of two disreputable sharpers who
lived by their wits; and the portion which we still have
gives many glimpses of vagabond existence in ancient Italy.
The selection here reprinted contains part of the account of
a lavish dinner given by a vulgar old millionaire named
Trimalchio, and the guests are mainly ignorant and boastful
friends of the host, who talk and brag after their own
fashion. This passage is remarkable because it contains the
only continuous specimen of Latin slang which we now
possess, and which differs decidedly from the elegant Latin
of literature. It bears many resemblances to the English and
American slang of the present day, and makes the ancient
Romans appear almost modern. The translation is that of
Professor Harry Thurston Peck in his "Trimalchio's Dinner,"
and is reprinted here by the courteous permission of Messrs.
Dodd, Mead & Co.

_Copyright, 1898, by Dodd, Mead & Co., New York._

We had already taken our places, all except Trimalchio himself, for whom
the seat of honor was reserved. Among the objects placed before us was a
young ass made of Corinthian bronze and fitted with a sort of pack-saddle
which contained on one side pale-green olives and on the other side dark
ones. Two dishes flanked this; and on the margin of them